iWorld
StudioNEXT collaborates with Venture Catalysts for ‘Shark Tank India’
Mumbai: The popular American business reality show Shark Tank is making headway into India. StudioNEXT, an independent business unit of Sony Pictures Network (SPN), has announced its collaboration with Venture Catalysts as the startup ecosystem advisor for the very first edition of Shark Tank India.
The StudioNEXT-produced show is all set to provide an opportunity and a platform to entrepreneurs with interesting business ideas, business prototypes, or active businesses that will be evaluated by experienced investors & business experts, the production company said in a statement. Registrations for the very first edition of Shark Tank India have commenced in June and are currently underway on SonyLIV.
SPN head – StudioNEXT, Indranil Chakraborty, said, “The format of Shark Tank is revolutionary, and we are excited to be producing the very first edition of Shark Tank India. The show will certainly give a boost to the dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country and we are looking forward to showcasing some interesting ‘pitches’. Will the ‘Sharks’ bite the bait? That remains to be seen. Given the nature of the show, we are glad to have collaborated with Venture Catalysts as the Startup Ecosystem Advisor for Shark Tank India.”
Venture Catalysts co-founder, Anuj Golecha, said, “In the last 12 years, Shark Tank has helped create multi-million-dollar companies across geographies. Venture Catalysts is excited to partner with Sony Entertainment Television for Shark Tank India as it aligns our Ideology of spreading entrepreneurship bug across the smaller towns and cities in India. Together we hope to see some really interesting ideas coming from far-flung Indian towns too or the entrepreneurs from the ‘Bharat’. For entrepreneurs, Shark Tank is not just about monetary gains but the exposure, mentoring, and support that they receive. It also provides founders with a direct go-to-market strategy and that is very valuable. We are extremely delighted to have partnered for the show as Startup Ecosystem Advisor to provide our deep expertise in entrepreneurship and building business to make the show a great success.”
Since its first launch in 2001, as Tigers of Money in Japan, created by Nippon TV, the format was later adapted as Dragon’s Den in 2005 in the UK and the show premiered in the US as Shark Tank in the year 2009. The format is distributed internationally by Sony Pictures Television.
Gaming
MTG gaming chief Benninghoff joins NODWIN board as esports firm primes for IPO
The Gurugram-based esports firm is pursuing a public listing, has returned to profitability and is growing revenues by 42 per cent
GURUGRAM: NODWIN Gaming is moving fast. The Gurugram-based gaming and esports company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round, appointed UBS as lead adviser for both the round and a subsequent public listing, and landed a heavyweight board director, all in one go.
The new board member is Arnd Benninghoff, executive vice president of gaming at Stockholm-listed Modern Times Group (MTG), who has overseen the group’s strategic investments and portfolio growth since 2014. He is no stranger to building things: Benninghoff has founded and built fifteen companies, served as chief digital officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, managing director of SevenVentures, and chief executive of Holtzbrinck eLAB. He began his career as a journalist at Deutsche Presse Agentur and various TV networks, holds a Diplom-Kaufmann in business and administration from the University of Münster, and previously sat on the board of Edgeware AB.
The numbers back the ambition
NODWIN is not pitching a story without substance. The company has returned to EBITDA profitability and posted a 42 per cent year-on-year revenue surge, reaching $58.5m in the first nine months of FY2026. The pre-IPO round will combine a primary issuance to fund global expansion through organic growth and acquisitions, alongside a secondary sale to give existing shareholders some liquidity.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said Benninghoff understands “the entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground reality of building startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios.”
Benninghoff, for his part, said the company “sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, making it one of the most exciting players in the global gaming landscape today.”
A portfolio built for the global south
Founded in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN has quietly assembled one of the more compelling esports portfolios outside the Western hemisphere. Its properties include DreamHack India and Comic Con India, and it recently acquired StarLadder, the Ukraine-based tournament organiser behind premier events in CS:GO and Dota 2. The company also serves as a long-term strategic marketing partner for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s most prominent fighting game tournament, helping push it into new geographies.
Its geographic focus spans South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Backers include Nazara Technologies, KRAFTON, Sony Group Corporation, JetSynthesys, and the founders’ investment vehicle Good Game Investments.
What comes next
With UBS running the books, a board freshly reinforced with European media and gaming expertise, and revenue heading in the right direction, NODWIN is laying the groundwork deliberately. The esports industry has burned investors before with big promises and thin margins. NODWIN’s return to profitability, combined with a real portfolio of owned intellectual properties across gaming, music and youth culture, gives it a more credible runway than most. The IPO clock is now ticking.
